Note: PCG leaders like Gerald and Stephen Flurry repeatedly make a huge point about how they (supposedly) follow Herbert Armstrong basically "to the letter", while hiding many changes they have made to his teachings. I found an article on the Web (here on July 28, 2012) which exposes that claim as pure rubbish. Below are excerpts from that article, which was written by an anonymous person or persons. I added a few remarks inside square brackets. The numbers in square brackets (e.g. [1]) were already there, and refer to footnotes in the original article.

Gerald Ray Flurry ... is the founder and Pastor General of the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG), a small sect based in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is taught within the church that he is That Prophet.[1] He is a supporter of teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong (founder of the Worldwide Church of God). His prophecy based ministry is a mixture of Armstrong's prophecies and his own. He is presenter of the television program The Key of David, is editor in chief of The Philadelphia Trumpet magazine, and is founder of Herbert W. Armstrong College in Edmond, Oklahoma.

His entire ministry (church, TV program, magazine, etc) is based on his controversial claim to be Armstrong's one and only true successor even though Armstrong stated there were no prophets in the church today, since the bible for our time is complete. Members of his church are required to use 10% of their gross income to support his ministry, another 10% to attend festivals at which they must attend church services where his ministers expound on his teachings, and another 10% regularly (two years out of every seven years) which is said to go to the poor in the organization.

Gerald Flurry ... became a minister with the Worldwide Church of God .... During the three years after Herbert Armstrong's death in 1986, WCG made several doctrinal changes that Flurry objected to as doctrinally false. He began to make his opposition to these changes known and felt inspired in his Bible studies, thus producing a manuscript that would become the book, Malachi's Message to God's Church Today, which is now taught to be the Little Book of Revelation 10. These events led to his being summoned by WCG leaders to appear before them. Mr. Flurry was subsequently dismissed from the WCG on December 7, 1989.

Battle with the WCG over Armstrong's Writings

The Philadelphia Church of God now owns the copyrights to nineteen of Herbert W. Armstrong's works, including all his full length books. Because PCG now owns the copyrights PCG has the power to make alterations in those works. Consequently, alterations have been made to some of Armstrong's writings, such as Mystery of the Ages [26], (p. 244-5), Proof of the Bible [27], and Who or What is the Prophetic Beast? (p. 33) [Critical changes have been made without notifing the reader of the changes, thereby misrepresenting some of Armstrong's doctrinal positions. See our article Flurrys Bear False Witness To Herbert Armstrong for why this is a vital point.]

For example, Flurry, who claims to follow Armstrong but also considers himself a prophet, made changes to Mystery of the Ages that allow him to teach that he is a prophet without alerting readers to the fact that Armstrong taught that there are no prophets in the church today since the bible for our time is complete (original Mystery of the Ages, pp. 244-5, p. 350).

Also, the 2009 PCG edition of Armstrong's booklet Who or What is the Prophetic Beast (p. 33) has been altered to remove Armstrong's teaching on the "very elect" which differs from Flurry's view on this doctrine. Flurry's new view is a core PCG doctrine since he claims only his followers are the "very elect," which he says is a special group of Christians who cannot be deceived and who escape the tribulation. Armstrong said the "very elect" are all true Christians, and that some of the "very elect" are martyred in the tribulation (p. 33 in the original version).

The absence of any footnotes explaining that these changes were made gives PCG critics ammunition to assert that, in order to retain the loyalty of his followers (and their financial contributions), Flurry is deliberately suppressing the fact that he has changed Armstrong doctrines.

Flurry has been highly critical of doctrinal changes made by other WCG split-offs, as well as edits to Armstrong's writings made by the WCG shortly after Armstrong's death. [He angrily attacks others for doing the same thing he does himself.].

One of the books Flurry now controls and distributes is The United States And Britain in Prophecy. It has been proven that when writing this book Armstrong plagiarized material from a similar book by J.H. Allen. In some places the writing is nearly word-for-word the same and in other places the same mistakes have been repeated [28].

Following "Elijah"

Herbert Armstrong taught that he came as a modern John the Baptist in the "spirit and power" of Elijah the prophet (Matt 17:10-13), as the end-time Elijah, to prepare the way for Christ's second coming (Mystery of the Ages, pp 9-10 [Watch out when looking up information by page number because there are now several different editions. The page numbers have been changed in the latest PCG version, apparently just to make it harder for readers to compare different editions of the book]). Since Armstrong's death, the WCG and most WCG split-offs have repudiated that claim. Flurry continues to teach that Herbert Armstrong was indeed the fulfillment of this Elijah and uses this teaching to distinguish himself from other split-off leaders. Flurry even claims that he is the only church leader who has retained this belief, stating that "None of the Laodicean leaders [leaders of other WCG split-offs] accept Mr Armstrong as the end-time Elijah" (The Little Book [by Gerald Flurry]). He wrote that this is "the big reason" God is using him and not the other church leaders (The Little Book). However, the claim to be the only one who still teaches the Elijah doctrine is not accurate. The following WCG split-offs have also retained the belief that Armstrong was the fulfillment of the Matt 17:11 Elijah prophecy:

1. The Church of God, Faithful Flock (www.cog-ff.com, philadelphiaremnant.com). 2. God's Church, Worldwide (www.gcww.org). 3. Church of God, 21st Century (cog21.org). 4. Great Lakes Church of God (www.thegoodlaodicean.com). 5. Church of God -- Preparing for the Kingdom of God (www.cog-pkg.org). 6. Church of God, Chickamauga, Georgia (holdfast2allthings.org). 7. Stedfast Church of God (www.stedfastcog.org). 8. Church of God in Wales (www.cogiw.org). 9. Restored Church of God (www.thercg.org). 10. Wholeworld Church of God (wwcg.org).

Gerald Flurry's Doctrinal Changes

The PCG is comprised mostly [almost entirely] of former members of the WCG who left the WCG in search of an organization that preserved the teachings of WCG founder Herbert W. Armstrong. However, Flurry himself has made a significant number of doctrinal changes to Armstrong's teachings. Few PCG members are aware of these changes. Here is a brief summary of some of the major changes.

1) Under Armstrong the WCG taught that "That Prophet" (Acts 3:22-23, Acts 7:37, Deut 18:15-19, John 1:21) was a title for Jesus Christ (A Tale of Two Prophets by Jon Hill, p.9). However, Flurry now teaches that he himself is "That Prophet" (Who is That Prophet?).

2) Armstrong taught that only apostles have divine authority to introduce new teaching's (including prophecy) to the Church of God (Mystery of The Ages, p. 350). However, Flurry, while claiming to be a prophet, which is an office lower than that of apostle (I Cor 12:28), has introduced many new prophetic teachings and changed several other doctrines set in the church by Armstrong (who believed himself to hold the higher office of apostle, a view which Flurry supports). [Flurry now claims to be an apostle, but apostles are not supposed to contradict each other, so why does he contradict Armstrong? And how did he have the audacity to make those changes before he became an apostle?]

3) Armstrong taught that prophets cannot hold any administrative, executive, or teaching roles in the New Testament Church (Mystery of the Ages, p. 245). However, Flurry struck this restriction from the PCG's editions of Armstrong's book and has assumed these roles from the time the PCG began.

4) Armstrong taught that Satan was cast from heaven down to earth and persecuted the church (Rev 12:13) in the 1970's, about the time that the Attorney General of California launched a failed legal attack on Armstrong's WCG (co-worker letters, 1979-1981). Flurry teaches that Satan was cast down when Armstrong died.[31]

5) Armstrong taught that the symbolic "little book" of Rev 10 represented his own personal appearance campaign in which he visited many heads of state and world leaders (Nov 19, 1976 co-worker letter by Armstrong). However, Flurry teaches that the "little book" is Malachi's Message, a book that he wrote himself (The Little Book).

6) Under Armstrong the WCG taught that the expression "synagogue of Satan" (Rev 2:9, 3:9) referred to a "great apostate church" (A True History of the True Church, Herman L. Hoeh, 1959, pp. 16-17). Flurry teaches that the "synagogue of Satan" refers to Laodiceans (part of the true church) rather than an apostate church.

7) Armstrong wrote that the "very elect" (an expression found in Matt 24:24 in the King James Version, but not appearing in any modern translations or in the original Greek) simply refers to the saints (Mark of the Beast, pp. 5-6, or the original Who or What is the Prophetic Beast, p. 33), merely those who understand the bible (The Key to the Book of Revelation, 1972, p. 2), not a special group of saints. Flurry teaches that this expression refers to a particular group of saints who cannot be deceived (Malachi's Message). Armstrong's booklet Who or What is the Prophetic Beast has been altered by the PCG to reflect Flurry's new teaching (p. 33). Although Armstrong's name still appears on the cover of the new PCG edition of the booklet, the booklet does not acknowledge the change in his doctrine.

8) Armstrong wrote that some of the "very elect" will enter a time of suffering known as the "great tribulation" (Mark of the Beast, pp. 5-6, or the original Who or What is the Prophetic Beast, p. 33). See also p. 26 of The Book of Revelation Unveiled At Last, 1972. Flurry teaches that all of the "very elect" will be protected (Rev 3:10) from this time of suffering (Malachi's Message).

9) Flurry also changed what the "very elect" cannot be deceived about. Armstrong implied that the "very elect" cannot be deceived into accepting the mark of the beast (although some of them might succumb to torture). See The Mark of the Beast, pp. 5-6 , the original Who or What is the Prophetic Beast, p. 33, and The Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last, 1972, p. 31. Flurry teaches that the "very elect" are those who are not deceived by Laodicean teachings (Malachi's Message).

10) In the article Mystery of Melchizedek Solved! Armstrong wrote that Jesus Christ is the high priest of the church (Heb 2:16-17) and that there can only be one high priest. This excludes the possibility of a human high priest in the church. In contrast, Flurry teaches that WCG leader Joseph W. Tkach was "Joshua the high priest" (Zech 3:1) (The Little Book).

11) Armstrong taught that Laodiceans keep the commandments of God (sermon transcript, July 1, 1978, Warning To The Church, www.getbackontrack.org). Flurry teaches that the WCG, which no longer believes commandment keeping is required, are Laodiceans (The Little Book). [What a huge change!]

12) Armstrong taught that Laodiceans have the "spirit of prophecy" (compare Rev 12:17 with Rev 19:10) and will be teaching prophecy until the time Christ returns (sermon transcript, July 1, 1978, Warning To The Church, www.getbackontrack.org). Flurry, on the other hand, teaches that the WCG is Laodicean even though the WCG has a strong anti-prophecy ("prophecy not") position (The Little Book).

13) Changed the disfellowshipping policy, making it more restrictive.[32]

14) Armstrong taught that the king of the South in Dan 11:40 is Ethiopia (Middle East in Prophecy, 1972, p. 11-12). Based on historical and geographical criteria, he concluded that "Ethiopia ... is the only possible government that could be the king of the South." (p. 11). Flurry teaches that the king of the south is Iran (The King of the South). Iran does not meet any of the criteria in Armstrong's booklet.

15) Armstrong taught that the prophecy of the king of the South in Dan 11:40 was already fulfilled (Middle East in Prophecy, 1972, p. 11-12). Flurry teaches that this prophecy is being fulfilled now by Iran's aggressive foreign policy. Both agree that the next verse has yet to happen.

16) Though the PCG follows the same form of government as Armstrong (i.e. hierarchical, no voting, no board of directors), Flurry is widely regarded by those in other WCG split-offs to be more controlling (due to, for example, the change in the disfellowshipping policy) and to have a much harsher tone than Armstrong did.[33] Indeed, Flurry has become notorious for his angry "attack" sermons lambasting former members and sinners in other split-offs and "the world". If these reports are true [they are, I have heard these sermons myself and been victimized by harsh, cruel ministers], this new tone constitutes another vital change because Armstrong taught that "government is everything," government must be carried out in love, and government is the most important doctrine.

17) Changed the great commission of the church. Armstrong stated that the two-fold great commission of the church was (i) to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, and (ii) feed the flock (Mystery of the Ages, p. 265-6). Flurry now says "Today, our commission is to 'prophesy again' ... Time is running out and there has been a change in commission." (The Ezekiel Watchman, PCG article R515, p. 2, emphasis mine). (Armstrong and the apostle Paul also thought time was almost out, but still put the gospel first).

18) Changed the identity of the "Ezekiel watchman". Armstrong taught that he fulfilled the role of a modern Ezekiel watchman who was sent to warn the people (Nov 19, 1976 co-worker letter). Flurry now claims this role for himself, saying, "This watchman is prophesied to be present when Germany rises to power and destroys the modern nations of Israel–unless they repent. The watchman is ON THE SCENE when it all happens." (The Ezekiel Watchman, PCG article R515, p. 1, original emphasis).

19) Changed the identity of the 144,000 (Rev 7) and when they are converted. Armstrong said these are saints to be converted (sealed) after the tribulation, 12,000 from each of 12 literal tribes of Israel (The Book of Revelation Unveiled at Last!, pp. 34-38). Flurry says these are Laodiceans who repent during the tribulation (Malachi's Message).

It should be clear that some of these changes are quite controversial. For example, though Flurry claims to be the one man chosen by God to preserve Armstrong's legacy, changes such as rejecting Armstrong's role as the Ezekiel watchman are more in line with destroying Armstrong's legacy than preserving it.

In addition to the doctrinal changes in the above list, Flurry has introduced to his church countless new interpretations of prophecy. Many of these new interpretations are also doctrinal changes because many prophecies that Armstrong applied to nations are now said by Flurry to apply to the WCG, PCG and other WCG split-offs. The changes are far too many to list, but the many new booklets Flurry has written on prophecy testify to the large number of reinterpretations and new ideas. One is hard pressed to find a book or chapter in the bible dealing with prophecy that Flurry hasn't altered in some way -- often significantly. There is no doubt that he follows nearly all Armstrong's other doctrines very closely, provided that they are not related to prophecy. Yet it seems ironic that while Flurry says he is following Armstrong more loyally than any other WCG split-off leader, he has possibly made more changes than any other leader once these prophetic changes and new ideas on prophecy are included. In total, these changes constitute a radical departure from prophecy as understood by Armstrong.

None of these prophetic changes and new ideas would have been possible if Flurry had not rejected Armstrong's teaching on the role of prophets in the New Testament church (original Mystery of the Ages, pp. 244-5, 350). When the PCG reprinted Armstrong's book, Mystery of the Ages they deleted the statement, "No prophets are mentioned as having either administrative, executive or preaching functions in the New Testament Church" (pp. 244-5). As head of the church, Flurry has the role of the chief executive and administrator, and his many sermons and writings clearly demonstrate his preaching function. This change paves the way for him to claim the title of prophet (Who is That Prophet?) and preach and write about his new prophetic beliefs. If he were keeping 100% of Armstrong's teachings, he could not claim to be a prophet in the first place. This explains why Mystery of the Ages has been edited. There is nothing in the PCG's version of Mystery of the Ages that notifies the reader that Armstrong's teaching regarding the role of prophets in the New Testament church has been removed from the book.

Preserving Armstrong's Legacy or Destroying It?

Flurry says he is the one man chosen by God to carry on the legacy of Armstrong. Most or all WCG split-offs also believe they are carrying on Armstrong's work. To this end, they have magazines, books and booklets to offer. The larger ones generally have a TV program. Flurry produces three magazines, a members-only newspaper, a TV program, and a college patterned after Armstrong's Ambassador College. Some other split-offs have on-line courses, and at least one is planning to build a college. Flurry is in the process of building a new high quality performing arts center which will be his version of Armstrong's renowned Ambassador Auditorium, but on a smaller scale. The purpose of this center is to present the church in a more positive light to the community. [In Flurry's words, "to get us out of the cult status".]

Flurry uses Armstrong's name and image to give his ministry legitimacy in the eyes of his followers, prospective members, and readers of The Trumpet magazine. Flurry's college is called Armstrong College, his foundation is called the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation, and his concert series is called Armstrong Concerts. Armstrong's picture is on the cover of the book written by Flurry's son.

The PCG claims to be preserving Armstrong's written works but has reprinted less than 20 items of Armstrong literature. Even then, in some cases, edits have been made to pivotal points such as the "very elect" and the role of prophets in the church. Far more Armstrong literature -- literally hundreds of items -- is available on the Internet for free from other sources. This includes old issues of The Plain Truth magazine, The Good News magazine, The Worldwide News newspaper, reprint articles, Envoys, sermons, sermon transcripts, telecasts, radio broadcasts, and many important booklets that the PCG does not make available.

The PCG reproduces the correspondence course, even calling it the Herbert W. Armstrong College Bible Correspondence Course, but they have made changes, once again altering Armstrong's legacy.

Flurry has retained many of Armstrong's core doctrines, including the fundamental "18 restored truths" that Armstrong added to the church, in addition to a great many non-core doctrines that many others regard as minor such as proper hair lengths for men and women. Flurry has held strictly to Armstrong's "Christian living" doctrines, even the controversial rulings that ban smoking tobacco and the use of cosmetics.

Flurry is building a work that mimics Armstrong's work in many ways. The college, Auditorium, concert series, and youth camps are all patterned after the WCG when it was led by Armstrong. Church publications quote Armstrong extensively. Church services are also after exactly the same format. Flurry's group keeps the seventh day Sabbath and the same seven annual holy days kept by the "old" WCG and many of its split-offs. Like Armstrong, he gives away his literature for free.

He has preserved some Armstrong doctrines that the majority of ex-WCG ministers have neglected. For example, the basic form of government: top-down one man rule. This doctrine has been rejected by many WCG split-offs because they believe it has sometimes been abused (particularly by Joseph W. Tkach).

So, in certain respects, he has preserved Armstrong's legacy diligently, but not in all.

Flurry rejects Armstrong as the Ezekiel Watchman, a change which removes an important part of Armstrong's legacy. In addition to taking on the Ezekiel Watchman title for himself, Flurry takes to himself many additional titles such as That Prophet, the Lawgiver, the end-time Prophet Malachi, the Prophet Elisha, etc. He teaches that his role as the greatest prophet since Christ was foretold in many old testament prophecies. Such claims lead some to wonder if Flurry is more interested in preserving Armstrong's legacy or building his own on the back of Armstrong's reputation.

Flurry follows Armstrong's teaching on the identity of the "lost ten tribes" of Israel. Many other WCG split-offs teach this also. He also picked up from Armstrong the notion of a soon-coming "United States of Europe" led by a European dictator referred to in the book of Revelation as the "beast" (Rev 17:12-13). This too is widely taught in other WCG split-offs.

Flurry has confused Armstrong's prophetic legacy by teaching a mixture of Armstrong's prophecies along with Flurry's own changes and additions.

His view of Middle East prophecy has changed substantially. Armstrong taught that the prophecy about the king of the South in Dan 11:40 was already fulfilled by Ethiopia (The Middle East In Prophecy). Flurry teaches that the king of the South is Iran and that this verse is being fulfilled now (King of the South). Flurry's writings contain dire warnings about Iran pushing Europe into a nuclear confrontation. He preaches that Europe will respond by destroying Iran. He believes this conflict will precede the destruction of the United States and many other English-speaking countries at the hands of Europe. [If Israel and/or the USA topples the government in Iran, Flurry will have a lot of egg on his face].

By changing the first part of the two-fold great commission of the church from preaching the gospel to preaching prophecy, he has made a fundamental change in the basic purpose of the church. At the same time, Armstrong's understanding of prophecy has been radically altered. The result of these two changes is that presenting Flurry's new perspective on prophecy has become the foremost purpose of the church. This might suggest that he is promoting his own legacy rather than preserving that of Armstrong.
Because Flurry uses Armstrong's name repeatedly, Flurry's controversial actions (taking various bible titles to himself, his reputation for "attack" sermons and his controlling policy changes) give some of his critics, such as those at the Exit and Support Network [website], occasion to discredit not just him but Armstrong as well. This does not seem to help Armstrong's legacy.

Policy Changes

In addition to making countless doctrinal changes, Flurry has made several significant policy changes. [The doctrinal changes are "countless" because prophecy is a part of doctrine (see the footnotes for a definition).]

1) Sermon CDs must now be destroyed immediately after use. This was not the case in the early years of the PCG. Also, sermon CDs are no longer sent to isolated members in outlying areas.

2) After collecting sermon tapes and CDs in the early years, members were later told to destroy their collections. Libraries of PCG sermon tapes or CDs in local churches were also shut down.

3) Under Armstrong, and in the early years of the PCG, information on church membership numbers was publicly available. However, several requests sent to the PCG's Personal Correspondence Department for this information have been ingored.

4) The disfellowshipping policy is now more strict than it was under Armstrong or in the early years of the PCG. (This is also a doctrinal change because it is based on a new interpretation of scripture). Contact with former members of the WCG or PCG is now nearly impossible [for current PCG members].

5) Ex-members report that the ministry has become increasingly domineering as time has gone on, creating an atmosphere where one is afraid to question church teachings. Some [members] wait years to get their questions answered -- answers that never seem to come. Others have their questions dismissed as trivial and a waste of the minister's time.

6) The PCG reportedly now prohibits the use of social networking sites.

When one looks at the nature of these [policy] changes, a pattern can be seen: most or all policy changes have the effect of controlling the flow of information into the organization, out of the organization, or within the organization. This suggests that the organization is adopting a fortress mentality as membership has either leveled off or dropped.

Notes by Gun Lap.

Note: Having been in the PCG myself for many years and having researched the issues discussed in this article, I can testify that the above article is highly accurate. I left out parts that I was not sure about or which were not needed for this article on doctrinal changes.

Note: Is a change in prophecy a change in doctrine? Yes. If we look up "doctrine" in a dictionary we get definitions such as the following (which I got from the Web).

Teaching; instruction.

That which is taught; what is held, put forth as true, and supported by a teacher, a school, or a sect; a principle ...

A principle of faith.

A belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school.

Clearly, prophecies are doctrines since they are "teachings," "principles of faith," "beliefs," etc. Since Gerald Flurry has made countless changes in prophecy he has made countless changes in doctrine, and he did so even before he gave himself the office which has the authority to establish doctrine.

Note: See page 17 of this edition of The Journal for proof that the PCG is not the only church which teaches that Herbert Armstrong was the Elijah. There, Don Billingsley of the Church of God Faithful Flock calls Armstrong an "apostle, the Elijah to come and the Zerubbabel."

More Changes.

In 1955 Herbert Armstrong wrote in The Plain Truth that the land of Palestine rightfully belongs to the U.S.A. and U.K. (Joseph), not to the Jews. Gerald Flurry says it belongs to the Jews, and he fiercely defends their "right" to the land. This is significant because there is a war going on over there, and anyone supporting the wrong side in a war may have blood on his hands. See our articles on the Arab-Israeli conflict for more information.

Footnotes from the original article.

Most of these sources (e.g. The Journal) can be found on the Web. I added in a few of the URLs.

[1] PCG Information (www.pcog.info), 'That Prophet'.

[2] 1971 Envoy, p. 37, (PDF p.41).

[3] Dixon Cartwright, 'Philadelphia Church of God founder Gerald Flurry in Texas for campaign, talks about lawsuit (Part 1)'], [1], The Journal: News of the Churches of God, February 1999. '[Stephen Flurry] noted that his father [Gerald Flurry] had graduated from Ambassador College in 1970'.

[4] What is the Philadelphia Church of God?, Exit and Support Network (exitsupportnetwork.com).